tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19729129849192718712024-03-13T19:20:34.275-07:00Cranberry CornerBecause the color cranberry is vibrant and bold, and the fruit is beautiful and firm, and yes, a little tart...but not bitter! Like me.Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16015165553390298826noreply@blogger.comBlogger729125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1972912984919271871.post-49905742988544487112016-02-15T20:25:00.000-08:002016-02-15T20:25:36.792-08:00An Eagle Scout!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Okay, so I've been hearing for years how much work it is to put on an Eagle Court of Honor. I'll admit that part of me thought, "yeah, yeah." I thought the Eagle Project was where all the work was. But, hello.<br />
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PUTTING ON AN EAGLE COURT OF HONOR IS A LOT OF WORK!<br />
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Now, we did hurry things up so that we could have the Court of Honor while family was in town. The timetable did add to the stress, but maybe it was also good to condense the stress instead of having it drawn out? I don't know. What I do know is that it was a LOT of work.<br />
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Taking pictures, choosing pictures, printing pictures, mounting pictures, buying supplies, copying, laminating, buying this and that, making tablecloths (thank you, my dear friend Mari!), ordering a cake, buying and preparing food, rounding up all of the scout memorabilia from the past 8 years, thinking up displays, making this, making that, invitations, programs, assignments, the slide show, on and on. But Aiden worked so hard to get here and I wanted to really showcase his efforts. And Aiden is the very first Eagle Scout anywhere in our family, both sides, that I know of! (Dylan almost made it! He was a Life Scout and only had his project to do when he moved to his Dad's.) So, this was big!!<br />
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These display boards that I worked on for several nights til all hours may not look like much, but they took so much time! Going through all the pictures from the past eight years to find every scout picture I could of Aiden and then having them all printed at Costco, some enlarged, and then deciding what should go on the boards, mounting them, remounting them (like three times when every adhesive I had kept failing, grrrrr....) But I loved the final product. It was also incredibly emotional, seeing my boy grow up in these pictures of things that feel like they were yesterday. My time with him left at home is short! I hate it! Lots of tears were shed putting this together, remembering my little boy.<br />
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Very few scouts ever attain the rank of Eagle. It really is an honor that will bless Aiden's life forever. I'm so proud of him. I'll let the pictures tell the story of the night.<br />
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(And I was so grateful to have the help of Nate's family there! Huge blessing!)<br />
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These three have grown up together. They were cub scouts together and now they are achieving Eagle. Travis, it's almost your turn!<br />
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Aiden's current and former Scoutmasters, who happen to also be the fathers of the two friends above.<br />
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Aiden asked Nate to be one of the speakers, talking about how earning his Eagle has helped prepare him in life.<br />
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Conor was included in the Color Guard.<br />
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Such a proud moment!<br />
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Finally, I get that Mother's Pin!<br />
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My sweet Dad. But there were lots of other wet eyes that night too.<br />
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Someday it will be this little scout's turn.<br />
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Taking the Eagle Scout pledge.<br />
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All the other Eagle Scouts reaffirm the pledge. (Nate and his father!)<br />
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Lyndsay, Nate, and Hannah.<br />
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Thank you to everyone who was there to help us celebrate and honor Aiden. This has been a monumental effort getting to this point and so many have helped him get here.<br />
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What a great night it was, and now it's DONE!Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16015165553390298826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1972912984919271871.post-31455154245428504982016-02-15T19:37:00.000-08:002016-02-15T19:37:19.980-08:00Lyndsay Enters the Temple<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I have been planning for this weekend for the last several weeks. With Lyndsay now engaged, we thought it would be timely to have her enter the temple and receive her endowments in preparation for her sealing. She took the Temple Preparation classes at her ward up in Utah, and since there was a three day weekend, we thought this was the perfect time for a quick trip. She and Nate drove down from BYU for this special occasion. We were also honored to have Nate's parents and grandparents come down from Visalia to be with us, as well as my dad from North Dakota. But since we had Lyndsay and my dad here, we rushed like mad to prepare Aiden's Court of Honor so that they could be there for his celebration as well. Every spare second that I wasn't working or sleeping was spent making plans, running errands, and preparing for these special events. </div>
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We drove to LAX on Friday afternoon to pick up my dad, who moved to Bismarck last year. Traffic was horrendous on the 405 and it took us almost two hours to get there. But there he stood on the curb outside of the terminal, his carry-on bag in one hand, and his scriptures in the other. A perfect picture of Dad. I always feel so much better when he's here, and it means a great deal to me that he has always been there for the milestones in my children's lives. He also was looking forward to the chance to meet Nate and his family. Lyndsay is so precious to him, and he wanted to feel comfortable with the man who would be her husband. </div>
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Dad was kind enough to treat us to dinner at Joselito's Friday night, so thankfully, I didn't have to cook after driving in all that traffic.</div>
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Lyndsay and Nate arrived around 9:30pm and stopped at the house quickly so that Dad could meet Nate, before Lyndsay took him to the hotel where his parents were staying.<br />
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The plan was to have everyone over for breakfast in the morning, and Lyndsay asked that I make cinnamon rolls, so I was up very late making those. I got to bed around 2am and could only sleep until about 5am because I had just come off of a long string of night shifts and my mind was racing with anticipation about the events coming up and all the things I still had to do. But I got up and showered and baked two quiches to go with breakfast and we were ready when Nate's family arrived. I wish I had taken pictures! But everything went smoothly. I already adore his parents and little sister who came along. We had a lovely breakfast, good conversation, happy feelings surrounding the union of our children, and gratitude that we could be together for this occasion in Lyndsay's life.<br />
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After breakfast, we headed to the Los Angeles Temple, and it was even better than I could have dreamed, being there with my girl as she made covenants and took this step in her life. She reached over and held my hand at one point and I was filled with such peace and gratitude that the Lord had helped me over so many years prepare her to be at this point in her life. It was marvelous. Nate's grandparents were there with us as well, as were several friends from our ward. What a great day!<br />
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Afterwards, we took some pictures. Not enough, but here are a few memories:<br />
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Lyndsay coming out of the temple. She glows!<br />
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With Grandpa Holiday.<br />
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Lyndsay wanted pictures by her favorite tree at the temple. Lyndsay is a lover of trees.<br />
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Great and good men. Nate's dad, Stan; Nate; Nate's grandfather, David (who will be sealing them in the Payson Temple); my Dad.<br />
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Lyndsay with Nate and his parents, Stan and Jill. Such awesome people.<br />
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The girls! Hannah, Nate's sister; Jill; Lyns; me; Nate's grandmother.<br />
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Grainy, but I love it anyway.<br />
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I'm so grateful that Lyndsay is marrying into this strong and supportive family.<br />
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After the temple, we went home and changed and then Nate's parents took us all to dinner at The Cheesecake Factory. As we ate, we had a Wedding Planning Business Meeting, where Lyndsay talked about her vision for the reception and delegated tasks. Jill and Hannah are so wonderful to be willing to help out in any way, and I feel so comfortable with everything we have planned, as does Lyndsay. It's going to be a beautiful reception!<br />
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We got home that night and were all just drained physically, spiritually, and mentally, and yet on such a happiness high. Since I'd only had three hours of sleep the previous two nights, I decided to just go to sleep and then get up early in the morning to make the dinner for all of us for Sunday afternoon.<br />
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Sunday's church service was a Regional Stake Conference broadcast for all of California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Hawaii, and British Columbia, so Nate's family was able to join us and have the same meeting they would have had back home! Afterwards, we headed back to our house for a lasagna dinner, garlic bread, and salad from the garden, before packing up and going down to the ward building to set up for Aiden's Eagle Court of Honor!<br />
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Saturday was Lyndsay's special day, but Sunday evening was to honor Aiden's accomplishment.Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16015165553390298826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1972912984919271871.post-56853280046827067002016-01-25T10:01:00.000-08:002016-02-02T10:02:25.061-08:00Engaged!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So, I'm standing in line at Costco, waiting for my pizza to be ready when my phone alerts me that I've got a text. When I open it, the first thing I see is that beautiful shimmering diamond on my daughter's hand, and then I read, "WE'RE ENGAGED!!!"<br />
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My heart started beating and my eyes filled with tears of absolute joy. My precious girl, my only daughter has found her Prince and tonight they have made their intent to marry official. I couldn't be happier. Of course, I had to show the complete strangers around me the picture and share my news! Bless them, they were excited and happy too!<br />
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When I got home, I ran in the door and shouted the news to the boys and Conor and I started jumping and dancing around the living room. Lyndsay and Nate FaceTimed us when they got home from Park City, where he had taken her for dinner and the proposal. They told us, through their beaming smiles, the story of how the night went down, complete with fancy steak, a walk in the snow (and she didn't bring a coat!), and a bent knee with a ring extended. She said, "If I had known he was going to propose, I would have washed my hair! Or worn eyeliner! Or worn pants!" (she had leggings on). She's so silly.<br />
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Afterwards, she sent me the other selfies they took afterwards. I love the pure joy on their faces, even though her nose and fingers are pink with cold.<br />
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Love is beautiful, and I am so grateful that Lyns and Nate have found each other. I truly love Nate. I feel like the Lord has prepared him for my sweet girl, and she for him. They will be a great pair with a glowing future. I had a serious talk with Nate when he was here over Christmas, expressing to him my deep love for Lyndsay, how precious she is to me, and how because of the things I have experienced in marriage, it is so important to me that she be safe, always. That she never feel what I have felt. He listened carefully to me. He promised me. I trust him, and that's big.<br />
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So, the kids were up late reveling in their happiness, but got up early the next morning to attend the Provo City Temple Open House before Nate headed off to classes.<br />
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And then Lyndsay's room mate begged to take some pictures of them. She got some terrific shots. They will have professional engagement pictures taken next month, but I love to look at these and just smile and laugh and cry. The emotions of motherhood take over my heart at times like this.<br />
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So happy for my girl! Later this month, she and Nate will be coming here so that Lyndsay can go through the temple and take out her endowments. Nate's family will come down from Visalia to attend with us and we will celebrate together, and get to know each other a bit, and PLAN A WEDDING!Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16015165553390298826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1972912984919271871.post-36709590627003898002016-01-23T00:13:00.000-08:002016-02-02T00:19:39.386-08:00Eagle Project Day<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_de_F4hiYiI8R9blFhFoLxyoEdoiAOzb3-8p-QILIKZ6h4S5ajJLcfjnMIjrem7VBSK_whvxPnKyYYj3Z-ioIwe7uRgV19WWpYTpp6Ub0NW5Xtwg-_Y7jiIK8olnRf5YBtlrjS8oGhmJ/s1600/IMG_7660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4_de_F4hiYiI8R9blFhFoLxyoEdoiAOzb3-8p-QILIKZ6h4S5ajJLcfjnMIjrem7VBSK_whvxPnKyYYj3Z-ioIwe7uRgV19WWpYTpp6Ub0NW5Xtwg-_Y7jiIK8olnRf5YBtlrjS8oGhmJ/s640/IMG_7660.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Finally, the day has come! Today was Aiden's Eagle Project Day! Anyone who has a son who has earned his Eagle knows exactly why the mother is given a pin. Holy moly. Aiden has been finished with his merit badges and rank advancements for years, and this project just loomed over our heads. Once high school begins, finding the time to do scouts becomes a serious challenge. I finally told Aiden he couldn't get his driver's license until he at least had his project planned and approved. That seemed to be the golden ticket.<br />
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He decided to do some landscape improvements around our church building and the pavilion behind our building. The trees needed borders and mulch. There were nine trees that needed borders and several others that needed to be mulched. I have to say, this project was all Aiden. I didn't help him at all. He filled out his workbook, made the necessary appointments for signatures, had his interviews, arranged for materials and delivery, did all the fundraising and planning, and then executed the project with stellar leadership. I guess that's the whole point of the project, really, far outweighing what the actual project is.<br />
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I had worked the night before, so I came straight from work, picked up 8 dozen donuts on the way home, and then directly to the church we went. Aiden had announced his project in church and made reminder phone calls/FB announcements, but I really had no idea how much support he'd have.<br />
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I shouldn't have worried. Cars started pulling in, and pulling in. Fathers, sons, scouts, leaders, teachers, people who just loved Aiden and wanted to help him gave up the early morning hours of their Saturday morning, and I was fighting back tears as I walked around taking pictures.<br />
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I love that Aiden's brothers were there to help him. Dylan earned Life Scout, but then never did his Eagle Project after he moved to his dad's. I think he regrets that now, and was very insistent that Aiden see this through. And little Conor worked the whole time with all those big boys and men, never complaining, proud to be a part of something important.<br />
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This is Darren Whitcomb, Aiden's Scout Master.<br />
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We started with a prayer, which Aiden asked me to offer, and then Aiden rallied his troops and designated tasks.<br />
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And then everyone got to work. Much of it was hard! The soil was compacted, there were difficult roots to overcome, but people worked together in a beautiful way.<br />
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Here is a front view of the property of the church with the trees as they were before.<br />
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And in the park behind the church, the trees needed some TLC.<br />
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Aiden showed great leadership.<br />
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Aiden made all the arrangements with a landscaping company to order the materials and have them delivered the day before the project. He raised all the money to pay for it.<br />
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Once each tree had a border and fresh mulch, it looked so beautiful and fresh!<br />
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I love this picture. The man on the right is Sam Buyon. He was one of Aiden's dad's missionary companions in the Philippines all those years ago! How serendipitous that here he is helping his companion's son work on his Eagle Project in Sunland, California!<br />
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This is Silvia Pinkston, Aiden's Seminary Teacher Extraordinaire.<br />
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Here's Aiden with Bishop Pinkston. Now his bishop, but former team Seminary Teacher with his wife, and always a spiritual (and football!) mentor to Aiden. He's been a great example to him.<br />
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And here's Aiden's Stake President, President Morgan helping too! Such love and support.<br />
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Um, let's go back to the shovel, shall we?<br />
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It took about two hours in total to do all the trees. And it looks so lovely!<br />
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Here are the people we could gather together at the end that came to help. There were others that had to leave a bit earlier. You know, it is so humbling to me. We do the best we can and the Lord fills in the gaps. That's how I feel about all these people who love my boy and add things to his character and his life experiences that I cannot. Each of them has been a teacher, leader, friend, or role model to him in various ways, and has watched him grow from tiny Cub Scout to almost an Eagle Scout! I am especially thankful for the men who have stepped in voluntarily, taken Aiden under their wings, loved him and taught him, and been positive, strong, spiritual role models, to teach him how to be a godly man.<br />
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And here's the view of the front of the church now, with many other trees done as well!<br />
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And the leftover mulch was added to all the planters around the church to freshen up rose bushes and flower beds.<br />
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Great work, Aiden! You're almost done!Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16015165553390298826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1972912984919271871.post-28644539321825284182016-01-17T23:35:00.000-08:002016-02-01T23:36:09.709-08:00Let Me Go Home<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I hadn't seen my mother in almost six years, or something shameful like that. The years roll by, in one accumulating avalanche of poverty, hardship, nursing school, single mothering, new-job-getting, barely keeping your head above water until one day you look around and think, "My mom! I need to see my mom!"<br />
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Things were somewhat more stable. I feel comfortable in my job now. My boys are older, and Dylan is with us now. Both he and Aiden can drive. We were between sports seasons. I could squeeze a plane ticket into the budget. And I needed a break. So, for Christmas, I gave her the news that I would be coming for a visit for her birthday in just a few weeks!<br />
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My mom lives in Denver, and this would be my first visit to this particular house that she now lives in. I did some mighty prepping at home before I left the boys to fend for themselves and each other for four and a half days.<br />
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I was greeted at the airport by my mom and youngest brother, Jonah, who is living back at home with her for the time being. The very strange thing about not seeing your mother in so long is that when you do, you are assaulted with the visual realization that she is getting older. I still picture my mom around age 40, which is when I moved away from home. Of course, I'm 42, so that can't be, but still, we want our mothers to be immortal, don't we? 2015 was a challenging year for my mom as she had cataracts removed and cornea transplants in both eyes, requiring lengthy and slow and careful recoveries, and one repeat transplant. She's been without glasses that entire time, as her eyes needed to heal without correction til a new prescription could be ordered once the healing was complete. But even without glasses, her vision is better than it's ever been in her life, which is a tremendous blessing for my artist mother.<br />
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My baby brother Jonah seemed happy to see me! He was only a little guy when I left home, so he and I don't know each other well as adults, but he let me stay in his room and we had terrific late night talks.<br />
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My middle brother, Micah, who also lives nearby in Lakewood, came by with his wife and children and it was fantastic to see them. Micah is a devoted husband and father, who has overcome so many things in his life and is now working full time as a manager of a restaurant and plowing his way through school earning straight As, with hopes of working for FEMA one day.<br />
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I had to reacquaint myself with Micah's children, Madden and McKenzie, whom I haven't seen since they were tiny. I just told them that their dad is one of nine children and I'm number one. As long as they remembered that I was Aunt Jenna and that I'm number one, we're good.<br />
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I loved seeing Micah with his children.<br />
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Here's Mom in her chair. Every chair in her cozy living room has an afghan thrown over it, and there are books lining the walls. So, it's pretty much a perfect room.<br />
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Her sweet kitty Lavender is usually right by her side as well.<br />
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I made chili for everyone for dinner the first night, with Micah's family staying for games around the table which was so fun.<br />
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The next day, I took my mom and Jonah to see the movie "In the Heart of the Sea" (which I'd already taken my kids to, because, Hello! Moby Dick and Conor!) and then Mom treated us to sandwiches and salads at a favorite deli.<br />
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The day after that was her birthday and I really wanted it to be special for her. I planned to cook dinner for everyone again, Shepherd's Pie, and to bake her a cake. Mom has special dietary restrictions, having both diabetes and Celiac's disease, but I had seen a recipe on one of my favorite blogs for a gluten-free cake. Now, of course it had some sugar in it (not much, really), but while she must be careful to watch sugar intake, it's the gluten that she must absolutely avoid. I asked her if I could give it a try, and she was game.<br />
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I started on the cake early in the morning. Get this, it was made with <i>quinoa</i>. Quinoa! And it was a HUGE success. I think Mom felt like she was eating a Real Cake. Which was the goal.<br />
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Mom has this box of her old 45s. I love it. Someday it will be mine, but I hope that someday never comes, because that would mean that my mom isn't here anymore, and I'd rather have her than this box of 45s, even though they are really awesome. Man, I miss records. </div>
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Micah and I had fun going through the different songs. His children had never seen records or heard them played, so you know we busted a few of those bad boys out.</div>
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We played The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Who. . . and the kids watched the records spinning and asked, "How did they get the music on there?" Though, are CDs or DVDs any less a mystery in that regard?<br />
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Dinner was fabulous comfort food all the way. Even Micah, who initially griped that there were onions in it, had more than one helping. As did everyone else as well. That was a big pan, and it was pretty much devoured.<br />
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And then we got to sing to our Angel Mother.<br />
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Her first, middle, and last child with her on her birthday. One, five, nine.<br />
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Sure love these brothers.<br />
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After cake, we played more games around the table. I think it was a Birthday Success.<br />
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The next day was for Mom and me. She drove me around Denver, showing me downtown and various landmarks. We drove over to her cathedral, and though we couldn't get inside due to some renovation work going on, it was easy to admire the stained glass even from the outside, as well as this cute door that reminded me of Mom and I had to take her picture in front of it.<br />
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Then, Mom had a tour planned of some of Denver's haunted sites. Yeah, baby. I love me a good haunted house or cemetery-turned park. We drove to several and then parked and Mom told me the history behind each place. Some good stories right there.<br />
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After the haunted houses, we drove over to a bookstore and spent an hour or so wandering around, filling our arms with books. She took some of my recommendations, I took some of hers, and we walked out of there with a few bags of treasures to add to our reading piles.<br />
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That night, Mom broached the crochet topic again. By "again," I mean, that she tried to teach me when I was 8. I vividly remember. We lived in the old house on the banks of the Delaware River. We watched Princess Diana and Prince Charles get married when we lived in that house. My dad made all of us kids watch Roots in that house. I got spanked pretty good for going down to the river and playing on the icebergs when we lived in that house, and our one episode of dog ownership happened there too. Anyway, Mom tried to teach me to knit and to crochet. I was an avid rug hooker at that age, and was devouring Nancy Drew. The knitting I picked up, the crochet made me feel like a failure. I just couldn't get it. And so with that belief, formed as a child, I never tried again.<br />
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Mom asked me, "So, do you crochet?" And I reminded her of that dark time so long ago, and told her I was still clueless. "Can Lyndsay crochet?" Well, of course not. Lyndsay can only do what I taught her to do. So, she can knit. Mom thought that maybe I had it in me to learn and so she patiently sat with me in her living room and walked me through the steps of chaining and then single and double crochet. At first the wrong hand held the tension. I moved the yarn instead of the hook. I messed up over and over again, pulling out my stitches and starting over. And Mom just bore with me. I wish so much I had a picture of it. I will remember that few hours forever. My fingers and hands were so slow, so methodical, so tense, not beautifully rhythmic like hers, flowing in and out of stitches. But I was determined. We changed hook sizes, we changed yarns, I kept trying. And I got it, folks! Another belief barrier shattered! I can crochet!<br />
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The next morning was time to head home to California. I took one more round of pictures, here with David, all bundled up for the snow.<br />
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Here with my dear Mama.<br />
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Here with my baby bro.<br />
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It was hard to say goodbye, but I felt like I'd be back soon, that visits would be more frequent.<br />
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After getting through security, I settled myself in front of the gate and started chaining. I figured I would use the flight to do some practice.<br />
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Here's what I'd done by the time we landed. I was slow (I'm getting faster now!), but developing muscle memory. My hands were less tense and my fingers didn't cramp up. And I think I really like it! I will definitely keep trying.<br />
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And when I walked out of the terminal to baggage claim, look at these three handsome boys who were waiting to greet me!<br />
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The house was clean. Clean! Even the yard had been raked and the patio swept! Everything had been fine, but they were so happy to see me and have me cook for them again. I so appreciate their support and capabilities that allowed me a visit home.<br />
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I know how grateful they are to be with me, because, well, Moms make a difference. And I learned from the best.<br />
<br />Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16015165553390298826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1972912984919271871.post-53575273112428965142016-01-10T15:06:00.000-08:002016-01-27T15:36:26.582-08:00New Year Catch-Up!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've neglected my blog since August! August! Just yesterday I was having a blog book printed up (I'm still several years behind on that) and when I saw that my last entry was Lyndsay's BYU graduation, I felt awful because SO much has happened since then! She had a life-changing trip to Asia for six weeks with her roommate and the pictures were out of this world. I wish I could post them all here, but Blogger would explode. When she came back, she loaded us all with gifts from Thailand and China and then just a few short days later, she headed back up to Provo to start working in the Bioinformatics lab on BYU's campus, a job she had during school.<br />
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The younger boys started back to school, Aiden in 10th grade, Conor in 4th. Dylan has been doing some odd jobs for people in the ward, still looking for steady employment. I kept plugging away at work, night shift Labor and Delivery.<br />
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As the Christmas season started approaching, I asked the boys if they would be okay with less presents this year if we got a kitten. No hesitation from any of them, it was a resounding YES. I researched various ragdoll breeders and we went to meet the one we selected and choose the kitten that would be our newest family member. Then only problem was that we couldn't decide between two, and so we ended up getting both! Little ragdoll brothers, we named Aslan and Beowulf. Oh, how we love them! And even Maestro, our 11 year old ragdoll has come to accept and even tolerate their very active company.<br />
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It is so much fun to have kittens around again! And we are so glad we bit the bullet and bought two. The brothers love each other immensely and love being together, which hopefully made their transition easier.<br />
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But seriously, it's like having toddlers in the house sometimes. They are so curious! And they often get into things, or make things take just a bit longer as they check out the scene.<br />
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Conor and Aslan have really developed a special bond, as have Dylan and Beowulf, which is nice since Aiden is Maestro's favorite.<br />
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So, this is Aslan, our seal point ragdoll.<br />
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And this is Beowulf, a Lynx point ragdoll.<br />
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That Sunday, Aiden was ordained to the office of priest in the Aaronic Priesthood and can now bless the sacrament. He is my first son to be a priest, so it was very emotional for me, watching him break the bread and prepare the emblems of the sacrament.<br />
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Aiden also got his driver's license! On a rare, very rainy day in Los Angeles.<br />
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Lyndsay met a boy! And this one's for keeps! She met him in her new apartment complex and ward up in Provo when she got back from Asia. His name is Nate, and we knew it was serious because she brought him home for Christmas break. Fortunately, we love him!<br />
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He fit right in with the family, even willingly participating in our annual traditional Graham Cracker Houses!<br />
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He laughed that he used all the wrong colors and made his look like a Halloween house, but I was just super impressed with his creativity and construction, this being his first house ever!<br />
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So great to have Dylan home to make houses with us! He missed our family traditions.<br />
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Fun, fun! And Lyndsay even used some super-selfie tricks to balance her iPhone and get a picture of all of us in front of the tree, kitties included.<br />
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Our Christmas was wonderful and happy. Lyndsay spoiled us all with more gifts from her Asia trip, and the kids really spoiled me with gifts, including a new iPhone 6s! I adore them. Caitlin got to spend some time with us too, but not Sean this year, unfortunately.<br />
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Then my Dylan boy turned 20! Can't even believe it. The last five years, or maybe seven (but who's counting?) have been really hard, but now we are here, in a better place, and only looking forward! I am so grateful that he's home and safe. He has definitely learned some lessons the very, very hard way, and still has some others to learn, but he's doing it with courage and honesty, and I love having him around. He has been a great strength to me since being home.<br />
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I made him his dinner (steak, of course) and cake (Angel Food with strawberries, this year) of choice, and we bought him an entertainment center to put in his room.<br />
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Happy birthday, my Dylan boy!<br />
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<br />Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16015165553390298826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1972912984919271871.post-15493531546498137352015-09-02T16:10:00.000-07:002015-09-02T17:44:23.434-07:00August 14, 2015: Life Sciences Convocation<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It was pretty surreal being back on that BYU campus with my girl, now on the other end of things. As hard as it was to wrench her from the nest and send her up there, I was so grateful she was there, having the experiences she was, and getting the education that I'd dreamed for her. Granted, she did finish in only three years, but still, it felt like the time whizzed by and then she was graduating! When I dropped her off three years ago, I still had a year of nursing school left. In fact, I held her face in my hands, there in front of the Maeser building, and said goodbye to her before I had to rush home to make it in time for my psych clinical registration.<br />
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Now, here we are.<br />
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In those three years, a lot has happened, for both of us. We have grown closer and leaned on each other, despite the miles between us. Lyndsay and I spoke on the phone or texted almost every day. I talked her through a lot of test and project anxiety, and cheered on her every success. I heard about every class, every teacher, every roommate, every crush/date/boyfriend/break up, every failed blood donation attempt, every successful plasma donation, and all the frustrations and successes as she grew and thrived. She let me be part of her life and I was privileged to be her cheerleader and advisor, but most importantly, her mother. I still checked up that she was wearing a warm enough coat and boots, that she was wearing her retainer, and that she was eating well. I counseled her to pray, to make time for her scriptures, and to make new friends. I don't know that she really needed me, but I sure gained strength knowing she was up there. We had a routine that I called her on my way to work every night and we'd chat for that twenty minute drive. She'd text me now and then through my shift after a date, or after a test. I prayed with her and for her before finals and presentations.<br />
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Now, she is a college graduate. She is a scientist! My daughter! My sweet baby girl. We survived!<br />
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This was a big day for Lyndsay, and for all of us. Lyndsay was not only chosen as an honored student by the Biology department for Bioinformatics, but she was also asked to be the opening speaker at the convocation.<br />
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She was so nervous, and felt a little undeserving. She knew there were honored students with higher GPAs. She didn't know why she was chosen. I told her that she must have something to say that someone needed to hear, and I really believe that. She was supposed to write her speech and then turn it in a week before for approval. She was up late one night, thinking of what to say. She said she asked herself whom she wanted to reach, and the thought came to her that it was Dylan. With that in mind, she started to write and the words just kept coming. Late into the night she wrote and then, unexpectedly, she realized that she had her speech! She submitted it and it was returned with no revisions and glowing approval.<br />
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But she wouldn't share any of it with me. I knew she was nervous, but also so excited. I could tell she had a quiet spirit of confidence about her message. We had to get there early for mic measurements and photos, and I caught her going over her speech for a few minutes.<br />
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Then she and Dylan gave my poor dad some instruction on taking pictures with his flip phone. Bless his heart.<br />
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We got our seats nice and early! Up as close as we could be, and front and center.<br />
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She wore her power red lipstick.<br />
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And finally it was time!<br />
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Lyndsay sat up on the stand with the faculty and five other honored students. There she is on the front row, all the way on the right.<br />
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She was the opening speaker. Adam filmed her speech, but I just wanted to sit and listen, focus, take in the moment. I have to say it was the proudest five minutes of my life. She was so calm and confident. Her message of hope through the power of God to overcome the challenges that our genetic inheritance presents us with was so encouraging and filled with the Spirit. I sat in absolute awe of her. She sounded so grown up! Her mind and spirit have been developed. She is evolving into a great thinker. She has had some life experience that has deepened her soul.<br />
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There she is! On the big screens all over the Marriott Center!<br />
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It was so moving. And yes, Dylan said he had goosebumps. We all did. And tears. She nailed it.<br />
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Shortly afterwards, the graduates were called by name to receive their diplomas. Sitting there in that arena was very emotional for me. It was my dream to attend BYU so many years ago. I was accepted and received a scholarship and made the decision to withdraw my admission in order to get married to Lyndsay's dad. I have always felt a little pang of regret that I didn't wait a bit longer in life to get married, that I didn't pursue my education first. I think my life has been harder because of those choices. But though I am satisfied with my choices to be a mother, and that has always been my most important dream and calling, I heartily believe in the need and importance of women receiving advanced education, and I raised Lyndsay (and her brothers!) with that drilled into her. Mothers can be more effective, more satisfied, and contribute more effectively when they have developed their minds. I know Lyndsay's primary goal is to also be a mother and to devote most of her time to raising children as well, but like I always told her, motherhood can be a lot of lonely time spent doing thankless tasks--you might as well have intelligent things to think about! She'll be a more interesting mother because of her education.<br />
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Here are some pictures that we took afterwards. Enjoy!<br />
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Lyndsay with five of her six brothers.<br />
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The white sash Lyndsay wore is called a Stole of Gratitude. Each graduate is supposed to present it to the person who helped them on their path in significant ways. Lyndsay presented hers to me, which meant so much. I love this girl!<br />
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Well done, my Lyndsay! Now on to bigger and better!Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16015165553390298826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1972912984919271871.post-23144254525564285442015-08-20T15:52:00.000-07:002015-08-20T15:57:16.158-07:00August 13, 2015: BYU Commencement<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Road trip! The culmination of our summer was driving up to Utah to celebrate the culmination of Lyndsay's college experience at Brigham Young University. I got to drive with the three boys, which was awesome since two of them could help drive!<br />
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We drove up the day before. I actually really like road trips with the kids, being "stuck" together for a nice long time. We had some conversation, some laughs (Dylan is hilarious), and the boys got some reading done in between video game sessions. Conor is working his way through the Far World series,<br />
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And Aiden was hard at work on his AP English Language assignment, reading and annotating <i>The Fiddler in the Subway.</i> Great book.<br />
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When we first arrived in Provo, it was late and we were starving. We drove right to Cafe Rio and ate dinner, and then headed back to the hotel to crash. Well, some of us wanted to crash. The boys were so hyped up and insisted on jumping on beds and throwing pillows around and laughing and, well, being boys. Which they apparently are slow to grow out of. But finally we were able to settle down after enough mishaps and Mom going slightly crazy.<br />
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The next day, we needed to work together to get Lyndsay moved out of her apartment before the ceremony. Her brothers worked hard packing and lifting for her. She had already done a lot of the work and cleaning, but man, moving is a huge job.<br />
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And, we realized, she has too much stuff.<br />
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She stored most of her things in the garage of one of her professors (whom she babysits for as well), and then some of it went in her car, and some in mine. Some we took to Deseret Industries to donate. Cleaning out her fridge and freezer meant that she made huge batches of smoothies and kept making us drink one after the other.<br />
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Then we all came back to the hotel room to get ready for the graduation.<br />
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The commencement was held at the Marriott Center on BYU's campus. We got there very early to be sure we could get good seats. My dad had flown in from North Dakota for this event, and Lyndsay's dad and his family had driven up from Arizona. Adam met us there from St. George, where he's been working. The one thing we all had in common was our love and pride in this girl we get to call ours.<br />
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Lyndsay's major was Bioinformatics, which is a conglomerate of computer science, genetics, and molecular biology. She minored in Computer Science. She's a real life scientist!<br />
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We are extra proud of her because my mom and I realized that Lyndsay is the first female anywhere in the family, both sides to receive her Bachelor's degree! She's a pioneer and she is paving the way for all of her female cousins and her future daughters and granddaughters.<br />
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After we were settled in our seats, Lyndsay had to leave us to go line up with the graduates. We waited anxiously. (And I enjoyed seeing Dylan all dressed up in a shirt and tie.)<br />
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Lyndsay texted me this picture of her and her best friend and roommate, Emily from the processional line outside. It made me tear up instantly. This is real! There is my girl in a cap and gown!<br />
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When the graduates started entering the stadium, they walked down several different aisles. I was scanning the blue caps, searching for my girl, when all of a sudden, I heard, "Mom!" There she was, walking right by us! We had picked a most fortunate spot to sit, and it melted my heart that she wanted to be sure that I saw her. I love the expression of pure joy on my dad's face. He graduated from BYU's undergraduate and law program so many years ago.<br />
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The faculty came and sat on the stand, along with the commencement speakers, Elder Russell M. Nelson and Elder Dallin H. Oakes, there in the front in the green and red robes.<br />
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The speakers were excellent and appropriately inspiring. The degrees were pronounced upon the graduates, and then they left the arena, officially finished with their programs. We got to see Lyndsay again as she filed past our row. Man, she glows.<br />
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We met up with her outside for hugs, tears of joy, and pictures.<br />
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All of us together, who came to celebrate our Lyndsay.<br />
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That day also happened to be Conor's 9th birthday. We had talked with him about postponing his celebration til we got home, but we still wanted to be sure he got a little birthday love. Here we are driving over to the restaurant. Love this boy.<br />
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We ate at Buffalo Wild Wings, though through a series of unfortunate circumstances, Adam never made it to dinner.<br />
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We surprised Conor with some birthday love.<br />
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I love this man so much. He is a hero to me, and it meant so much that he could be there to share in this joyous occasion.<br />
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My birthday buffalo.<br />
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We headed back to the hotel for some swimming and fun and then went to bed even more excited for the events of the next day.Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16015165553390298826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1972912984919271871.post-31967538025045073702015-08-19T15:02:00.003-07:002015-08-19T15:02:54.185-07:00Summer Catch-Up<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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School started this week. Summer ends too quickly! The climax of our summer happened last week when we went to Utah for Lyndsay's college graduation, but I wanted to get in a post of how we filled our time up until that blessed event.<br />
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Puzzles. Lots of puzzles. It seems we always had one going, and I'll tell you, it was pretty nice. We kept two tables set up in the living room, one for pieces, and one for the puzzle. Having that project to work on kept the television off more often, and it allowed for some really lovely talks late into the night with my children.<br />
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When we finished that one above, we wanted a bigger challenge, so we ordered a 2000 piece puzzle. Holy cow! None of us had ever tried one that big and it took a LONG time, but what a great feeling when it was finally completed!<br />
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I finally stuck to my goal of teaching Conor Latin. We started right at the beginning of summer and did two lessons each day on most days. He is learning so quickly! I also taught him to write in cursive, because somehow that got left out of the curriculum and it was important to me that he have that skill. So, most every day he did two lessons in Latin, two pages in cursive, and read for one hour. Mean mom, I know.<br />
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Blessed surprise! Dylan moved back home the first week in July. It was sudden and unexpected, but so wonderful to have him home. I had some anxiety about the transition, but really, it's been a delight. I want to write more about this, and about him. But I can tell you now that I am so proud of this boy, what he's come through, who he is becoming, and where he and I are in our relationship now.<br />
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Conor played in an All-Stars league. They were younger and less experienced than every other team and lost every game, but it was a great opportunity for them and they had a lot of fun. Conor got the only hit (a double) in the last game, and even got to pitch for the first time.<br />
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He was awarded the Game Ball for that last championship game. So proud of him!<br />
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Lyndsay drove home from Provo for a week and a half visit, and stopped at the hospital to see me on her way home.<br />
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A few days later, we went back to the airport to pick up Aiden, who returned from his six week visit with his dad in Arizona.<br />
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Which means. . . All my chickens were home!<br />
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Lots of board games were played.<br />
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We had a beach day.<br />
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So good to see my oldest son engaged and having such a good time with his little brother. Man, it was good to be together.<br />
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Lots of late night laughs and fun sibling rivalry. Just like the old days.<br />
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We threw together a quick birthday/graduation party for Lyndsay.<br />
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Her friend, Aisha, came home from her mission in Uruguay that same day, so we celebrated her as well. Aisha was Lyndsay's first room mate at BYU.<br />
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Happy 21st birthday! How time flies!<br />
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The next day we made a return trip out to Long Beach to go kayaking.<br />
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(We brought a friend along with us.)<br />
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And then the following day we had to say goodbye to Lyndsay and send her back up to Utah to finish up her last week or so in Provo before graduation. School was finished for her back in June, but she had to study and take the GRE (Grad school entrance exam), get some more work done in the research lab, and pack up her apartment.<br />
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Not too sad of a goodbye this time, since we knew we'd be up there shortly to celebrate all her hard work. Love this girl!<br />
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<br />Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16015165553390298826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1972912984919271871.post-83689232203350442072015-06-29T11:33:00.003-07:002015-06-29T13:25:27.438-07:00A Quick Recap <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I've been away from my blog for so long. Life whizzes by. So many pressing issues are on my mind. It's interesting that as children grow up parenting becomes easier, and also more difficult at the same time. My day-to-day tasks are not as consumed with mothering as they were ten years ago, but my mind is <i>more</i> consumed, and my prayers more intense and constant. The dangers they face and the choices they must make are so much more life-altering, and yet they are at the stage where they must deal with those things largely on their own, using their agency, and I must stand back and hope that I've prepared them well enough. And I pray. Did I mention that? I hardly even care to pray about any other issues in my life as long as the Lord answers my prayers for my children, though I realize He's not limited in his benevolence. </div>
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To recap the last month in an abbreviated way:</div>
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In a mad rush, Aiden finished Driver's Ed and got his permit. He did his Behind-the-Wheel training in the days before he had to leave for the summer at his dad's. In California, teens have to have a permit for six months before they can get a license, which they can get at age 16. Since he spends the majority of the summer in Arizona, we wanted to get the permit's "clock" started before he left so he can get his license right after his birthday. Also, we wanted him to be able to get a lot of driving practice with his dad over the summer. He's a pretty good driver, that Aiden! Careful and conscientious, the way we like them. </div>
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In the most exciting news, Miss Lyns finished her studies at BYU! She was able to finish her program in only three years because she went in with lots of AP credits and she took 17-19 credits each semester. Her major was Bioinformatics with a minor in Computer Science. She was also chosen by the College of Life Sciences to be the honored student for the Biology department! Graduation will be held in August. In the meantime, she is working at the research lab there on campus and studying to take the GRE. After a gap year of working and traveling to Asia, she hopes to pursue her PhD in human genetics. Wow. So weird to even say that. My daughter is a scientist! I have a whole other post I want to write about this journey, but I had to share these text messages that last day.<br />
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That was such an emotional day for me!!<br />
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Meanwhile, Aiden is now in Arizona spending time with his dad and brother Dylan. I love when he sends me pictures because I am missing both of them like crazy. And seeing Dylan's face does me so much good. It's been a very difficult few years as Dylan has been working through some serious struggles. I love that kid with an intensity I can't even put to words. I'm glad Aiden can be there with him. Their dad took them on a week long hiking/backpacking adventure to Montana. The pictures were gorgeous! I'm really grateful they are having such rich experiences.<br />
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Back here at home, Conor finished up his baseball season, playing for the Angels. This was his first go at a team sport and he did so well! The little guy surprised us with some talent for baseball! He learned so quickly and proved to be a real asset to the team. Aiden and Adam helped with the coaching, which was wonderful support for Conor, who has been selected to play on the All-Stars team for Sunland. Practices for that team began last week.<br />
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For Father's Day, I wanted to be sure Adam felt appreciated and loved for all he does for our kids. Despite whatever stress happens to be between us, his heart really comes out with his children. He loves those kids with fierceness, and he's been an important part of my kids' lives as well. To surprise him, I invited his two big kids, Caitlin and Sean, over for dinner. Conor and I had treated him with his favorite breakfast and cards and gifts in the morning. I was preparing his favorite dinner (spaghetti and garlic bread) when there was a knock at the door. He was so happy when he answered it and saw those two standing there! It was a great surprise!<br />
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I love these kids, the blonde half of our brood. They have all the best parts of their dad.<br />
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Conor loves a chance to play with his big brother.<br />
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Adam requested Blueberry Cobbler for dessert. Man, that was a good choice. Conor and I made this one together. We served it with a little vanilla ice cream and it was incredible!<br />
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So, now, summer is in full swing. Adam has been out of town working in St. George with his stepbrother on a new project they hope will provide jobs for our families. I'm still working at least three night shifts a week. Conor is a little lonely without Aiden home, but he gets together with some friends, and I have him busy here at home. He loves to have a puzzle going. Our kitty, who also madly misses Aiden, likes it too.<br />
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Here's the 500 piece puzzle he finished a few days ago. He already has another one started, and I bought him a new one that should be arriving soon.<br />
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Yesterday was our annual piano recital. It was a really different year, with most of the students being first or second year. Most of my older students had to leave because of school commitments or moving away. I miss them so much, but it's fun to have a new cohort to bring up. They all played beautifully, and I think I was more nervous than they were!<br />
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This was Conor's second recital. He played "Halftime Show" and "The Entertainer" from memory. He did a really good job, and already wanted another lesson when we got home at almost ten o'clock. <br />
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Conor's a cool kid. He has a tendency to want to spend his days watching television or playing video games, but when we drag him away and give him something to work on, the little guy has so many talents and learns so quickly! It's a challenge to keep his mind and body active. I really love the time we can spend together.<br />
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That's what we're doing a lot of this summer. Hanging with my little guy. Happy are the days when I don't have to go in to work and we can be together.Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16015165553390298826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1972912984919271871.post-17744720675812916432015-02-15T20:17:00.001-08:002015-02-15T20:33:28.679-08:00Valentine's Day Heart Attack<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Valentine's Day is my second favorite holiday (behind Christmas). I don't buy that it's a Hallmark scam. Of course we should love every day, but I am in favor of a day especially devoted to celebrating love. One of our traditions is to do a family "heart attack". We did this as our Family Home Evening activity this past Monday. I cut tons of hearts from red paper and we each wrote things that we love about each other. My favorite part is when we go around and read them out loud. I get so choked up hearing the things that we love about each other.<br />
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Here are a few I want to remember:<br />
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Then, we tape them all over the walls so we can see all that love whenever we come into the house or come downstairs. It's amazing how good it feels!<br />
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On Valentine's Day morning, I had a little gift bag for each of the boys. (I'd mailed packages to Lyndsay and Dylan so they could share the fun as well.)<br />
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Usually I make a pink breakfast, but this was our Field Trip day, so the boys brought their new games to the car and off we went to the mountains!<br />
<br />Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16015165553390298826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1972912984919271871.post-65429903053308749192015-02-15T20:01:00.000-08:002015-02-15T20:01:14.612-08:00February Field Trip: Snow Tubing at Big Bear Snow Play<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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In an effort to get out and do more with the kids, for this month's field trip, we chose a trip up to the mountains to go snow tubing. Conor has long been begging for snow. I <i>promised</i> him snow this year, but unfortunately there hasn't been a lot here in California. Over the three day weekend, I thought we'd drive up to Big Bear and play in whatever snow was available, and when I mentioned the plan to my nail girl, she suggested snow tubing -- an idea I hadn't thought of. The boys were so excited, and I'll admit, I was too. We all needed some fresh air fun.<br />
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We went to a place called Big Bear Snow Play, about a two hour drive from where we live. They advertise the longest snow tube runs in Southern California. It was $30 per person, which included the inner tube, for all day fun. They are open from 10am to 4pm. We got there right at opening, only a little carsick from the winding drive up the mountain.<br />
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Conor was all business about getting right to the snow!<br />
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We brought all kinds of snow gear, and most of us started out with coats, but it was almost 70 degrees, and we were soon way too warm with them on. Aiden was wishing he'd worn shorts! The shade was cool, but mostly, the sun reflecting off the snow was intense enough that we ditched the snow gear.<br />
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We got to choose our own inner tubes. Conor took this very seriously.<br />
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And saving us multiple trips hiking back to the top of the hill, was the Magic Carpet, a moving sidewalk of sorts.<br />
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There were six different runs, each a little different. Some with steeper inclines, others with (what we called) "whoop-dees", or humps in the run.<br />
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It should be noted that I am a complete chicken. Generally. In life. But I was determined to play in the snow and have a great time. I was actually the first one down the mountain, screaming my head off the whole way. I was terrified! But it was also exhilarating, and the kids wanted to go down with me just to enjoy my terror. Aiden accompanied me on many of the runs, with his camera poised and ready. He got some funny pictures that make me laugh to see just how embarrassing I am.<br />
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Here's the view from the top:<br />
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I love this series of shots he got as we went down together, holding on to each other's tubes. As we start off, it's all lovely.<br />
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You can tell that the speed picks up intensity, because my face expresses more and more fear.<br />
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So fun to have those rides with my boy. Who never made fun of me, I have to add. Just laughed along with me.<br />
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Little Conor had so much fun. No fear in him! Here he goes down the mountain, with Aiden in front of him capturing the joy in his little face.<br />
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Conor and I went down together a few times as well, as did Adam and I.<br />
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I love this selfie Aiden got as they "Double Supermanned" down the run.<br />
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We ended up staying until about 3pm. We left happy and tired. Speaking of tires, we had a flat waiting for us in the parking lot, but a quick stop at the nearby gas station and a can of flat tire repair later had us back on the road. I'm sporting a decent sunburn, but the important thing was how much fun we had together in the Southern California snow.Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16015165553390298826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1972912984919271871.post-52683169779166958272015-01-26T07:17:00.000-08:002015-01-26T07:35:09.582-08:00So SureIt's a Monday morning. I was on call last night and was <i>so sure </i>I'd be called in, and yet wasn't. So. This means I didn't fall asleep until 3am, and still had to wake up at 5:40 to cook breakfast for Aiden and drive him to Seminary. I'm now waiting the hour until Conor's alarm goes off, and enjoying the thoughtful quiet of the sleeping house.<br />
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Adam is here.<br />
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For a few weeks now. I was <i>so sure</i> I was done, and yet I could not go through with the divorce with my whole heart. Which left me thinking, and I'll admit, having a private foot stomping, clenched-fist, teeth-gritted emotional temper tantrum. Maybe I'll write more about this. <i>Maybe. </i>I feel a bit like the Girl Who Cried Divorce (not that I ever wanted to be that girl!), so since this is a delicate, vulnerable, tippy-toeing time, maybe I'll just wait.<br />
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This is the last week of January. I have my New Year's Resolutions all categorized and typed up, accessible from my home screen, and yet. I was <i>so sure</i> I was ready for some of them, and they haven't happened. Yet. I have not given up! Why is it so hard to do simple things that I know will bring me peace of mind and a measure of happiness? Must. Ponder.<br />
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I'm still thinking about our Testimony meeting yesterday. Sometimes our ward can be more circus than celestial, but yesterday---boy, yesterday was incredible. We have a new bishopric, and maybe the fresh leadership has ignited the positive energy, but I looked around the chapel during our meeting yesterday and have never felt so connected and so belonging with a group of people I often feel so different from. Wait, did that make sense? Our ward is somewhat of a melting pot in the Stake, a gathering of misfits from all walks of life, and yet, as I looked around the chapel I felt like I was home, that these people are my family, and that <i>this</i>, this is what the gospel is all about. Tattoos, cigarettes, poverty, imperfect families, and strained marriages, all coming before the altar of God, surrendered. I attended church fasting for my son. Thinking of him, praying for him, pleading for the Lord to keep His eye on my boy and somehow make Himself known. As if in answer, it seemed that every testimony was a powerful witness to the Lord's private workings, personal miracles, individual redemption in the lives of the ward members, and I felt peace.<br />
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I'm not sure it does me any good to be sure of anything except that. So, I'm going to move in the direction of peace.<br />
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<br />Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16015165553390298826noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1972912984919271871.post-59128564036076247472015-01-09T19:08:00.002-08:002015-01-09T19:08:58.607-08:00January Field Trip: LACMA Samurai Exhibit and La Brea Tar Pits<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One of my goals for this new year has been to get out and see and do more with the kids. There is so much available to us here in Los Angeles, but besides the factors of time and money, I struggle against an overwhelming desire to just stay home. I love to just be home, but I do want to take advantage of the opportunities around us, so I set a goal to have a "field trip" once a month with at least Conor (the other kids too, if they're here, which they're not right now.)<br />
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A friend drew my attention to the Samurai exhibit currently on display at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. She raved about it, and I knew Conor would love that, so to be sure it would happen, I scheduled it in my planner and told him it would be a date.<br />
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It really was incredible. The exhibit is a portion of the private collection owned by Ann and Gabriel Barbier-Mueller. Gabriel's father and grandfather were both art collectors and he has had a fascination with the Samurai since he was a boy. The items he's been able to collect are absolutely stunning, dating back over the last 700 years. I was so impressed by the fine craftsmanship and exquisite attention to detail. Here are some of my favorite pictures, snapped with my iPhone.<br />
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Conor brought a sketchpad and was so cute as he sat there sketching helmets. Twice, adults came and sat next to him and did their own sketches. I walked around the room and read placards while he sketched away.<br />
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Conor was hungry by that time and wanted a cheeseburger, so we walked down Wilshire and stopped at a food truck.<br />
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The Page Museum and La Brea Tar Pits are right next door to the LACMA, so we headed over there too. I've been wanting to go to the Tar Pits for <i>years</i>.<br />
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This is a ground sloth! No thank you!<br />
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This mother mastodon and her six year old child (child? calf?) were found together. So sad!<br />
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The Columbian Mammoth. Those tusks have <i>got</i> to get in the way.<br />
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The Dire Wolf wall. All skulls from dire wolves found in the excavation sites at La Brea.<br />
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Here's a dire wolf skeleton.<br />
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The Paleontology lab. What tedious work!<br />
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Once through the museum, we walked around to the tar pits, where there are still active excavations.<br />
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Crates of fossils waiting to be worked on.<br />
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And on our way back to the parking garage, Conor wanted a quick shot of him lifting this massive boulder.<br />
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We had a terrific time together. Conor is such a pleasant museum buddy, and these two were right up his alley. A day well spent with my boy!Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16015165553390298826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1972912984919271871.post-53802485140290996022014-12-27T09:03:00.002-08:002014-12-27T09:03:37.223-08:00Christmas Eve<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I woke up early on Christmas Eve, the list of tasks for the day running through my mind. I love the holiday traditions we have established in our family, and I love that my children depend on them, but it is a lot of work to make holidays happen! I had to run to the grocery store to get last-minute additions to our day. We had waited for Lyndsay to be home to do our graham cracker houses, and with my work schedule, that tradition got pushed to Christmas Eve. Also, Lyns requested a turkey dinner, since she missed my food so much at Thanksgiving, and since I was scheduled to work Christmas Day, we plugged our holiday meal into this day as well.<br />
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While we worked on food in the kitchen, and carols played in the background, the kids and I got to work on our graham cracker village.<br />
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I did a cheater thing this year, and I'm blaming it on Pinterest. I saw someone had posted that they assemble their houses with hot glue since they never eat the crackers anyway, and then decorate with royal icing. This was a year I could definitely use a time saver, so I went with it. One less (at least!) batch of royal icing to make, plus the cost savings involved.<br />
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Several hours later, our finished houses!<br />
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Aiden's really took the cake this year. It was quite a masterpiece!<br />
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Lyns went for a log cabin this year.<br />
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Despite the confusion and turmoil in our marriage, I don't want anyone to be lonely for Christmas. I invited Adam to come and spend the holiday with us. His children, Caitilin (home from college) and Sean, came by for a little while to exchange gifts, and we got our traditional family photos in front of the tree. Man, we have so much fun together. Christmas has a way of blurring bad memories, and everything just felt so happy. We sure were missing Dylan though, who wasn't able to be with us.<br />
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Love a good laugh fest. And I love these two girls.<br />
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We reminisced about when they were little girls sharing a bedroom. Now they are college girls!<br />
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Three of our handsome boys.<br />
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Lyndsay made the rolls for me, and they were amazing!<br />
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Caitlin and Sean had dinner with their mom, so they didn't join us. The work involved in preparation was so worth it! The food was delicious! I'm not sure why Conor looks so glum here, except that he probably just wanted to get down to eating!<br />
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I really wanted to drive out to the temple to see the lights and hear the Christmas concert, but the traffic was horrendous, and truth be told, I really was exhausted. Instead, we read our nightly Christmas story together, sang several carols, and Lyndsay read the account of the Savior's birth in Luke 2. We had a family prayer together too, focusing on our gratitude and our wishes for members of our family who were not with us, and struggling.<br />
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My friend and visiting teacher, Angela, stopped by to drop off a gift. We chatted for a bit. She's getting ready to move out of the ward, and a good distance away right after the holidays and I am so sad about that. She has been so good to me and I will really miss her.<br />
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Then it was time for yet another tradition: Christmas jammies! Each of the kids opened their gift.<br />
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Cozy!<br />
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Merry Christmas!Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16015165553390298826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1972912984919271871.post-53929573357054104732014-12-16T22:37:00.001-08:002014-12-16T22:38:55.416-08:00The Christmas Season: A Tree and Blessing Bags<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We went back to artificial this year.<br />
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I love the idea of a real tree. For the last six years, we've gone to get a real tree from Kathy's Tree Lot on the day after Thanksgiving. $80 a pop. And it's beautiful and it smells lovely. But the sad fact was, real trees just don't have strong enough branches to hold all of our ornaments, so each year many got left in the boxes that just wouldn't fit. The ones that were on the tree would weigh the branches down and take turns falling off. As would the needles. The constant vacuuming, the back-of-my-mind worry about the tree drying out and catching fire, the one more chore of watering. . . I just decided to bite the bullet and go back to fake. I figure in three years it will have paid for itself. And I can enjoy <i>all </i>of my beloved ornaments!<br />
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Thank goodness that Aiden is here to haul the tree inside and assemble it!<br />
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And thank goodness it's pre lit! No more messing with strings of lights!<br />
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So, the house is decorated and cozy and we've been enjoying the Christmas spirit for several weeks now.<br />
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There is an idea floating around on Pinterest and various blogs about Blessing Bags. I'm always looking for opportunities to get the kids involved in service, especially during the holidays, so I thought we'd try this out. The idea is basically to assemble bags of simple items that people in need can use. Simple toiletries, some food items, warm socks, etc. We have homeless people all over near where we live and it's very common to come off a freeway to see someone sitting at the off-ramp holding a sign asking for help. I rarely have cash with me, but I always want to help. I've given food that I've had in the car, but thought this might be a nice thing to keep stocked in the van for such occasions.<br />
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For Family Home Evening I took the boys to the grocery store and the dollar store and we collected various items to make our bags. We made "girl" bags and "boy" bags. There isn't a huge difference between the two, honestly, besides the socks, kind of deodorant, and color of toothbrush.<br />
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There are lots of lists of ideas of what to put in the bags.<br />
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The boys and I assembled the bags when we got home.<br />
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We included:<br />
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soap<br />
toothbrush<br />
toothpaste<br />
mouthwash<br />
tissues<br />
deoderant<br />
shampoo<br />
chapstick<br />
socks<br />
water bottle<br />
dried fruit<br />
nuts (this might not be a good idea for all homeless people as many do not have teeth. Should have thought of that. We were going for a punch of nutrition.)<br />
crackers<br />
cookies<br />
hard candies<br />
granola bars<br />
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There are many other possible ideas!<br />
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We made a bunch of them and put them in a box which we now keep in our van. We can't wait for the opportunity to share them and offer the blessing to someone in need!<br />
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<br />Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16015165553390298826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1972912984919271871.post-41316953850634302792014-12-03T23:04:00.002-08:002014-12-03T23:04:53.784-08:00And Now He is 15<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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This little baby of mine. My sweet, squishy little Aiden has gone and turned 15. It's been a big year for him: starting high school and early-morning Seminary, making the football team and playing an undefeated season (even though he missed two weeks due to a concussion). He's being challenged in new ways and he's growing. And growing is sometimes painful. But this boy has a wonderful ability to evaluate himself and step back in line if he's fallen out. He can rein in his temper after a satisfying explosion and say he's sorry. He is both tough and tender. I love watching him grow.<br />
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Aiden does so much to help our household run smoothly. He gets himself up and off to Seminary, he's responsible about his school work and schedule, he is the best big brother to Conor, always willing to play a game of chess or SkipBo. He takes care of things at home when I have to go to work. I am proud of him and so grateful for him. We'd gone to pick out his presents a few days prior. He chose a new football and a chair for his room. But I wanted him to feel especially loved and appreciated on his birthday.<br />
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I worked the night before, so I was sleeping until about 1pm, when I couldn't stay asleep any longer with the excitement on my mind. I had a lot to do to get ready for his birthday celebration that night and then Thanksgiving the following day.<br />
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On Tuesday, Conor had a day off from school, so he and I made a long banner to hang in Aiden's room. We decorated each letter, and then I hid it away.<br />
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I hung that up in his bedroom (he still has it hanging. . . he loves it!) Never mind the blankets tacked up for curtains. That's getting taken care of for Christmas. Shhh!<br />
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Then I went out and bought a dozen helium balloons to put in his room. He was so surprised by those little simple acts. He wasn't expecting them at all and it really made him happy. (Oh, and he's getting real bedding for Christmas too!)<br />
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I made one of his favorites for dinner: Taco Salad. He had eaten a three entree plate from Panda Express just an hour before, but was still able to put this away too. The boy can eat!<br />
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He opened cards and was delighted to get some cash. Teenagers love cash.<br />
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And after a little break (while I put pies in the oven), we enjoyed cake. Aiden chose carrot cake again this year. It's his favorite.<br />
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Here's our attempt at a birthday selfie. Do I look tired? That's because I was! But so happy. I love my Aiden.<br />
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Fifteen. Wow.<br />
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Later that evening, I found him in his room, shirtless (like he is most of the time), doing Rubik's Cube challenges with his brother. He proclaimed it his best birthday ever. But he says that every year.<br />
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<br />Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16015165553390298826noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1972912984919271871.post-19174390883740337462014-12-03T22:23:00.001-08:002014-12-04T06:17:52.057-08:00Apple Turkeys, Pajamas, Two Dinners, and Scrubs: The Best of Thanksgiving<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Up until the week of Thanksgiving, I wasn't quite sure how I would pull the whole thing off. I was scheduled to work Tuesday night and Thursday night, and Aiden's birthday was Wednesday. This year it was only to be me and the boys for Turkey Day. Lyndsay decided to stay up in Utah to save the gas money and to stay focused on her classes, since she'd be home in a few weeks at the end of term anyway. I knew I'd have to do <i>something</i>, and the boys were looking to me to make it happen. I assured them there would be food.<br />
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After I woke up on Wednesday afternoon (having worked Tuesday night), I scrambled to get Aiden's birthday festivities accomplished. (More on that in a separate post.) Once cake was eaten and dinner was cleaned up, I did what Thanksgiving prep I could. That included baking the pies (I only did pumpkin this year), baking the rolls, and laying out the bread for the stuffing. This is a yearly tradition that my mom always did the night before Thanksgiving.<br />
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Before going to bed, we lay out the bread (one loaf per pan of stuffing desired). I only made one batch this year.<br />
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By morning, it's pretty stale and ready to be torn up by the children. Conor got the job this year.<br />
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Then I add the onions and celery that have been sautéed in butter, the herbs, salt and pepper, and enough chicken broth to make it moist. Into the oven it goes. (Or, into the bird, but I didn't do that this year.)<br />
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Simple and delicious.<br />
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I also only cooked a turkey breast this year. Since it was just the three of us, and we only like the white meat anyway, it made sense.<br />
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While the food was cooking, we watched Christmas movies and the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving special. Then we did our other Thanksgiving tradition dating back to my childhood, and made apple turkeys.<br />
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The kids never outgrow it. Poor Lyns missed out.<br />
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Dinner was ready around 2pm, which is when we like to eat our big meal. We talked about our blessings and Conor made several toasts, which is his favorite thing to do at meal time. We ate contentedly, even though we were only three. I love these boys and I was not going to miss a chance to celebrate Thanksgiving with them, even if I was missing my other children and feeling stretched thin.<br />
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Just the basics this year, but all the good stuff. During dinner, I realized I was still in my pajamas. Oh well. I suppose that was a compromise worth making.<br />
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We worked together to get the meal cleaned up, I took a nap for about an hour and a half, then got into the shower and got ready to leave for work.<br />
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Thankfully, it was a pretty quiet night on the unit. One of the nurses was kind enough to bring a full Thanksgiving meal for us from Trader Joe's (her husband works there). Around midnight, we carved another turkey and enjoyed another delicious meal.<br />
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I love the night shift! I got to eat one turkey dinner in my pajamas and the other in scrubs! That's how to do it!<br />
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Really, I count my job and my new friends as some of the biggest and best blessings of this year. I can't believe how lucky I am to love what I do and to truly love all the women I get to work with. Their friendships have been a balm to my soul and a steadying force in my life when other things are rocky. This year, they helped turn me into a real Labor and Delivery nurse, and I am so grateful.<br />
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I marvel at how God balances our lives. He cannot prevent the trials and the pain we must experience, but He always makes sure we have hefty doses of blessings. His loving kindness has been so apparent to me this year, once again.Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16015165553390298826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1972912984919271871.post-77990706406815088152014-11-24T23:49:00.000-08:002014-11-24T23:50:22.044-08:00Counting BlessingsThere is turmoil swirling all around me. It is difficult to feel peace amidst so many competing emotions. Just when I think I may have caught it by the coattails. . .<br />
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It's a difficult time for me. I know a lot is riding on my decisions.<br />
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Each of my children is struggling in a very personal way with their own issues and I cannot help them. I mean, I'm trying to. I'm praying so hard to know how, but agency is real. As a mother I can love tightly, and release faithfully. I'm am trying to perfect, "Let go, and let God."<br />
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My life is the long-term plan, for sure.<br />
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Today was especially trying. I'm holding back tears of worry and fear over one of my children in particular. I had the thought today as I drove to the grocery store, "I think I may be going crazy." And it wasn't even all that alarming. Crazy gives you permission to do a lot of things, you know. Crazy could be a load off.<br />
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But this week is Thanksgiving. There is no Complaintsgiving. Worriesgiving. Fearsgiving.<br />
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And so, after a simple dinner of comfort carbs (grilled cheese, tomato soup, chips and dips), I called the boys back to the table for an even simpler Family Home Evening (which most weeks I fail at lately, by the way.)<br />
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I happened to see this link today with free downloads of <a href="http://www.allisonkimball.com/my_weblog/2014/11/gratitude-pie-charts-free-download.html" target="_blank">"Gratitude Pie Charts".</a> Fourteen different little visuals to organize and count your blessings. I picked one and printed it off for us. It was amazing how easy the boxes were to fill up.<br />
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And as the boxes filled up, so did my hope, and my faith.<br />
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I told the boys tonight that no matter the trials we are experiencing, no matter how hard life seems to be, we always have more blessings and things to be grateful for. I guess I needed the reminder as well.Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16015165553390298826noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1972912984919271871.post-15562959861547624532014-11-11T17:46:00.001-08:002014-11-11T17:46:20.673-08:00Breaking Point<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Are there little signs in life?<br />
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A few weeks ago, I was down in the kitchen when I heard a tremendous crash. Conor was upstairs, and I thought maybe he'd fallen off of something, but I held my breath for a moment and never heard crying. Then he appeared in the kitchen and said, "What was that noise?" Oh. So, it wasn't Conor. He went in search of the probable calamity, and found it in my closet. He came down animated, arms and hands flying dramatically, his eyes wide and his voice streaming words a mile a minute, emphasizing the horribleness of the situation. "Okay," I said. I had piano lessons to teach. I couldn't even muster the desire to go see one more "situation".<br />
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Eventually, I went upstairs to face reality. When he said the shelf had fallen, I thought it was the other one, the small one that holds wrapping supplies, sewing supplies, and extra purses. That one has fallen before. I did not expect it to be the one that held my entire rack of clothing and boxes of memorabilia. I was strangely unmoved. It felt so typical of my life right at that moment. <br />
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Everything had looked so tidy and organized. Slacks, blouses, cardigans, long-sleeved shirts, short-sleeved shirts, skirts, dresses hung in order. Jeans and pants folded on top next to sweaters and nursing scrubs. Then boxes of keepsakes, the kids' favorite childhood toys, memories of people and places of my past. All carefully placed and easily accessible, before the weight of it all bent the supports that held it up and sent it crashing to the floor in a heap. But it had looked fine and had been seemingly sturdy for over nine years. No sign of impending surrender.<br />
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I often look put together and organized too. Strong, even.<br />
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I had no energy to deal with this disaster. I didn't even know where to begin, truthfully. It seemed so daunting and I knew it would involve power tools at some point. Instead, I closed the door and chose to not freak out or panic. I didn't cry. I might have even laughed a bit at the irony. Fortunately, I had just done a load of laundry and hadn't put it away yet, so I just lived out of that hamper. It was fine.<br />
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Then, late one night, about a week later, when I was up anyway (thanks to my night shift sleep schedule), I thought maybe it was time for a purge. At the time, I didn't know how I would build a new closet, but I knew I could at least clean out and sort.<br />
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One by one, I took each item out. Amazing how much clothing I was holding on to for when I lose weight. Depressing! Skinny clothes that haven't fit in years! All they do is taunt me and make me feel horrible about myself. It was time for them to go. After all, <i>when</i> I lose weight, I should buy something new!<br />
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This is only the beginning of that purged pile. I ended up donating three trash bags full of perfectly good-for-someone-else clothing.<br />
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I folded the shirts and pants and sweaters and placed them in the closet unit that Adam hasn't taken yet. All of the dresses and skirts and shirts on hangers got draped over Lyndsay's bed for the time being.<br />
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This has kind of been a sign to me of the breaking point I'm at in my life. I've held on to things that just don't fit for way too long. I've carried the weight of the past unnecessarily. It's time to sort through mindfully and decide what should stay, and what is no longer beneficial to my mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Hoping and longing for what used to be, what I wish still was, is not propelling me forward; it's holding me back. And I don't have all the answers as to how to fix what is broken inside of me, but I can begin by taking inventory and making some hard decisions.<br />
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I don't have a functional closet yet. I've been taking from Lyndsay's bed, a laundry hamper, and the portable closet unit. It's fine for now. A friend came over and took measurements and is going to put up new rods and shelves.<br />
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The things that will hang there fit me now. And only the most important keepsakes get to stay.Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16015165553390298826noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1972912984919271871.post-72434920827428689182014-11-09T18:36:00.000-08:002014-11-09T18:36:58.442-08:00The Deep EndHere I go, jumping in.<br />
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I've decided to end my marriage.<br />
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That decision is in the very same instance both heavy and light.<br />
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Heavy, because who wants a divorce? Heck, who wants two of them under her belt? Heavy because of the failure, the broken hearts, the casualties that always befall the smallest, most innocent ones. Heavy because I've already been down this road and I'm familiar with the ruts. Heavy because I hate those ruts. Frankly, they suck.<br />
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Light, because the ruts in that road are more appealing than the ones in the road that continues on in the same direction. Light because I want to be out from under the dark secrets of this marriage. Light because there is peace at home again. Light because without all of the surviving, maybe I can work more on thriving. I know how deeply I believe in marriage, even though it's with kind of a shocking sadness that I realize I have no personal experience to justify that belief. I know how hard I will fight for a marriage and for a family. I know that I can forgive the unforgivable. I know that I will put my needs and feelings very, very last.<br />
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And I know I have.<br />
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When we separated almost two years ago, I didn't rush to the courthouse. I knew we needed a break and I really believed that break would be permanent, but I was open to every last chance. I was shocked when I felt we might explore our relationship again eight months later and even more shocked that it led to him moving back in this past May. But very soon it was apparent that as much as I love him (and I do!) and as much as I care for him, our marriage is destructive to not only the two of us, but to our children, and there just doesn't seem to be a point in putting off what has been the inevitable for any longer. After a very brief "honeymoon" period, all of the old patterns were firmly back in place. There's so much negative history that just keeps repeating itself, and it feels impossible that trust can ever be restored. The children are begging for relief and I was startled and ashamed at how my attempts to keep things together were breaking them.<br />
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Marriages are deeply personal. I don't want to betray the sacredness of our experience, even if it's ending. He is hurting and so am I. I don't need to reveal details of our downward spiral. It is enough to say that I feel like I tried my best. He probably did too.<br />
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I am choosing to not hate. I am angry sometimes, but I'm actively working on forgiveness and compassion. For him, for me. I am sick of ugly. I just don't want it in my life. I am craving peace, and am hopeful that this terrible, sad process will bring that to both of us.<br />
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<br />Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16015165553390298826noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1972912984919271871.post-18626161965766939882014-11-07T17:41:00.000-08:002014-11-11T22:07:53.902-08:00Ready, Set, . . .I've been thinking that I should start writing again.<br />
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I have all sorts of things bubbling over inside of my spirit and mind. Life is happening to me, with me, around me, inside of me, because of me, in spite of me.<br />
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I am having such exquisite, enlightening, painful, lonely, tumultuous, enlivening, joyful, dreadful experiences. The commodity I'm shortest on is time. Definitely time. But I feel this drive to carve some out, even the tiniest bit, to write.<br />
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For me, it's therapeutic, and who couldn't use some therapy, am I right?<br />
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Write.Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16015165553390298826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1972912984919271871.post-2080436315906431392014-09-02T08:37:00.001-07:002014-09-02T08:37:42.482-07:00A Boy is Baptized<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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We've been preparing for this event for years. At eight years old, the age of accountability, children can choose to be baptized, the first step to return to their Heavenly Father one day. Conor and I have talked about this decision many times, discussing the promises he would be making and the blessings that would be available to him for choosing to follow the example of Jesus Christ. With each of my other children, I read the Book of Mormon with them before they were baptized. With Conor, we started (years ago!) but didn't quite finish yet. We'd read it together as a family, however, and he believes the Book of Mormon is true. (We'll keep pressing on until we finish, just the two of us.) He wanted to be a member of the true Church of Jesus Christ, he always says.<br />
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A month or so before the big day, his dad took some pictures for me to use for invitations:<br />
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We scheduled the baptism for Saturday, August 30th. It was helpful that it was over Labor Day weekend so that we could have family come from out of state. Lyndsay drove down from BYU, and my dad drove in from Arizona. He was going to be bringing Dylan with him, but Dylan backed out at 2am the night before they were to leave. That is a whole other story that burdens my heart.<br />
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I worked so hard to arrange all the details from getting the building opened and the font filled, to the programs, displays, and refreshments. This is my youngest child! My last baptism. Hard to believe.<br />
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His father baptized him, and his Grandpa Holiday confirmed him.<br />
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Oh, he is so dear to me. And his willingness to follow the Lord thrills my heart.<br />
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Cupcakes. I spent most of the day Friday baking and frosting them. Ten dozen!<br />
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Everyone participated in some way. Aiden, the best kind of good example and big brother, gave the opening prayer.<br />
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(Missing Caitlin, who is up in Santa Barbara at school, and Dylan.)<br />
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One of my favorite pictures of the day. Lyndsay gave the cutest talk on baptism. She also pulled out that tooth two nights before!<br />
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My dear friend Beverly came to play the piano for us. She and I have worked together in Primary since I was pregnant with Conor!<br />
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I had some of the pictures that Adam took enlarged and framed for the display table. The framed subway art was a free printable that I found on a blog. This was my gift to Conor and will hang in his bedroom.<br />
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I chose sunflowers because they always turn to face the sun, which lights the earth, and Conor's choice to be baptized was a choice to turn and face the Savior, the Light of the World.<br />
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It was such a sweet day. Little Conor is thrilled to be a baptized member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I hope he will always choose to follow the Savior.Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16015165553390298826noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1972912984919271871.post-76427117212748344232014-08-19T08:49:00.000-07:002014-08-19T08:49:02.021-07:00Back to School Again<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Another school year is upon us. The summer went by so quickly, I almost feel like it was a trick. A summer slight-of-hand. It was here, and now it's gone! </div>
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I'm not a huge fan of the kids going back to school. It's so lonely and I love having them around and not being a slave to a school district. I am, however, a fan of education, so that's the angle I take with the boys. Learning! Growth! Progress! Let's do this! </div>
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Since Aiden is attending a charter school this year, the schedules for the boys are not the same, even for the first day. So we had an extended back-to-school moment, sort of easing into things. </div>
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Conor started 3rd grade this year. I'm not sure how that is even possible. He started kindergarten the same time I started nursing school and now this has happened? </div>
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On the bright side, we're getting a 4th year out of that backpack!<br />
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When I asked him what he wanted for his first day of school breakfast, he said strawberry-orange smoothies. I've never made those, so I'm not sure where that came from, and later he said he just made it up. Well, it worked out fine (except that Trop 50 stuff is weird. Not even 100% juice. Lesson learned there.) I used a ton of frozen strawberries, some Greek yogurt, a banana, and some orange juice.<br />
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Aiden was sweet enough to want to walk with us to school, the school he also attended beginning in 3rd grade. In fact, Conor has the same teacher that Aiden had in 3rd grade.<br />
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I got him to the right place on the playground, where he was first in line for his class. We waited for a few friends, and then I had to leave to take Aiden to work. Conor was fine though, so brave. What a difference from all those tearful partings in kindergarten!<br />
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Aiden said he felt like everything was miniature at this school. Strange how perspective changes as we grow up! He was once a little guy standing in this same line!<br />
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Aiden started early morning Seminary (a scripture study class held at 6am for high school students in our church) last week because most of the kids started school last week. Since he didn't, our routine was Seminary (which he gets himself up for and rides his bike to and from), Conor to school, and then Aiden out to the ranch where he's been working all summer. Then I would pick him back up around lunch time, he'd come home and rest for a bit, and then it was off to football until late in the evening.<br />
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Today, however, he started school. 9th grade. High school. I can't even believe it, except that I've been driving out there every day the whole summer.<br />
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He's going to a really great school, the largest charter school in the nation, actually. It's a bit of a drive, which has been hard, but most of his friends are going there since his middle school was out in that area too.<br />
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His back to school breakfast was a bit heartier: Whole Wheat Blueberry Pancakes. And a tall glass of milk and a banana. The boy can eat.<br />
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All morning I've been thinking about how strange the passing of time is. I'm sitting in the same house, with the same furniture, arranged in exactly the same way as when we moved in back in 2005. That was just a few weeks before school started that year, and Aiden started kindergarten.<br />
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We had five kids going back to school! Same house (with painted walls now), but so much has happened and changed.<br />
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Here was my little guy on his first day of kindergarten. And today he started high school!<br />
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Here is a picture of the end of that school year. Lyndsay was being homeschooled, but the other four all attended the same school. It's so strange to look at that picture, which I remember taking, and realize that three of those kids are in college now and the other two in high school!<br />
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And here I am with my little Aiden, and Conor growing in my tummy. These are the only two I have left in my nest. Life is a trip, man.<br />
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So much has changed. We've been through so much. Each of these kids has experienced so many things since these older pictures were taken. I miss those days of innocence and relative ease. Life, ironically, seemed simpler then. We keep plodding along, doing the best that we can. Now I'm a working mother, which adds its own degree of complication to life. The race I run at this stage feels more strenuous then it did back then, but I'm grateful for the learning, the growth, and the progress.<br />
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Here's to an excellent school year!Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16015165553390298826noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1972912984919271871.post-34487380502145517802014-08-12T13:01:00.002-07:002014-08-12T13:02:16.999-07:00Conor's Plants vs. Zombies Party<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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It's been zombies in my head for the last several weeks. I decided to let Conor have his first "friends" party for his birthday this year and he asked for a Plants vs. Zombies theme (which, if you don't know, is a wildly popular video game.)<br />
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Once I started searching for ideas, I got a little crazy in the details. I wanted everything to be memorable for him and I wanted his friends to have a great time.<br />
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I had some zombie images blown up and printed for decoration.<br />
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And I found this perfect sign for the front door.<br />
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Thanks to Etsy, I was able to get ready-made digital images that I had printed at Kinko's. Then I just had to spend several hours cutting and glueing.<br />
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I struggled with the cake. I had a different vision initially, but things just weren't working out, so I had to revamp and go with a simpler idea. I made the figures from gum paste a few days before, did the fondant work the night before the party, and then assembled everything that morning. There was just no way I could make a fondant zombie, so to get around it and yet still have the zombie touch on the cake, I just went for a hand reaching out of the ground. Much easier.<br />
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For decorations I bought a set of small traffic cones.<br />
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Our first game as guests arrived was Zombie Bingo. The kids loved it.<br />
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Then we played Musical Zombie Chairs. We had downloaded the Plants vs. Zombies theme song onto a CD and we played that while the kids had to walk around the chairs zombie-style.<br />
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Then we played Zombie Bowling. <br />
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Everyone thinks it's going to be so easy, but it's not! We gave each child three tennis balls to try and knock all the cans down. Only one child got them all down with the first ball, and only two were able to get them all down with three balls. They loved this game!<br />
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Next up was Pin the Eye on the Zombie.<br />
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(I got this guy a little too dizzy!)<br />
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I ordered five of these zombie stuffed toys from China (cheap!) to use as first prizes for each of the games. The kids loved that!<br />
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Then I had a terra cotta pot filled with smaller action figure type zombies that served as second and third prizes.<br />
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The last game was a Zombie Shooting game. I printed out images of zombie heads and laminated them and hung bells from the bottoms. Aiden built the frame for me and spray painted it.<br />
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He also built me all the marshmallow shooters. (Love that boy!)<br />
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This was an outside game. The kids got ten marshmallows chances to hit the zombies.<br />
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Then it was inside for food. I had the party from 2-4pm, so I didn't need to serve lunch. But I had snacks, which the kids actually munched on throughout the whole party. We had a little "brain snack" after a few of the games and the little zombies ate their jello brain.<br />
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Plants for the little zombies!<br />
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And then it was cake time!<br />
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I can't believe this boy is turning 8!<br />
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I made one of the traffic cones into a party hat for Conor (and clipped a tie on him like a zombie too, which you can't see here).<br />
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And then they demolished my hard work!<br />
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Cards and gifts at the end.<br />
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And before they went home, they each got a party favor. I wrapped candy bars with these cute wrappers (Etsy again!)<br />
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and put them inside flower pots along with a pack of trading cards, bubbles, and a pack of sunflower seeds to grow in their pots. There were supposed to be eyeball gum balls too, but something happened to my order. Oh well, nobody knew. And hopefully parents were happy that the kids didn't come home laden with sugar.<br />
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Conor was incredibly thrilled with the way his party turned out. Parents have been telling me how much fun all the kids had. All of the games were a success. The kids would always ask to play them again when we finished. It was a ton of work getting everything ready, but all worth it!Jennahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16015165553390298826noreply@blogger.com8